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New Netherland
AND
The United States
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. SAN DIEGO
3 1822 02700 7541
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OKIVt. „IU OF
CALIFORNIA
SAN DIEGO
oj)
NOORDHOFF ,
EKH-OITGEVER
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. SAN DIEGO
3 1822 02700 7541
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Social Sciences & Humanities Library
University of California, San Diego
Please Note: This item is subject to recall.
Date Due
DECTTTOOO"
— \
— \
1609-1909
the dutch in
New Netherland
AND
The United States
PRESENTED BY
The Netherland Chamber of Commerce
in America
ON OCCASION OF
The Hudson-Fulton Celebration
in New York
SEPTEMBER 25TH TO OCTOBER 9TH
1909
Nieuw Nederlatif is cen seer schoon aen-
genaeni gesont en lustigh lantschap doer
het voor alderley slagh van tnenscheft be-
teren ruynter aen de kost of geniackelyck-
er door de zverelt te geraken is als in Ne-
derlant offle eenige andere quartieren des
werelts tnyn bekent.
Adriaen van der Donck, 1656.
Copyrighted
The Netherland Chamber of Commerce
IN America
1909
CONTENTS
Page
Directors of the Chamber ... - 5
Constitution of the Chamber - - - - 7
Contract vnth Henry Hudson - - - - 14
(original text)
Contract with Henry Hudson - - - - 16
(English Translation)
The Dutch in New Netherland
and The United States . . . - 19-73
New Netherland
Exploration of the Hudson in 1609 - - 19
Fur traders 1609-1612 . . - - 20
Block's exploration of Long Island Sound
and formation of the United New Nether-
land Company 20
Chartering of the West India Co. in 1621 - 22
First settlers arrived under leadership of
Jesse de Forest ----- 22
Claims of Holland and England - - 23
Captain May, first head of the Colony - 24
Pieter Minuit, first Governor - - - 24
Erection of Fort Amsterdam - - - 25
Patroons and the Act of Privileges
and Exemptions ----- 26
Settlement of Rensselaerv.-yk - - - 28
Wouter van Twiller, second Governor and
arrival of the first garrison - - - 28
Origin of Governor's Island - - - 29
Troubles with the English in CouneLticut 30
Governor Kieft and the Indian Wars - 32
Bronk's Treaty ------ 35
Pieter Stuyvesant appointed Governor - 36
Religious intolerance of the Governor - 37
The patroons and the Governor - - 38
The capture of New Sweden - - - 40
Fall of New Netherland - - - - 41
Anton van Korlaer and Spuyteu Duyvel - 43
Recapture by the Dutch . - - - 44
New Netherland exchanged for Surinam 44
The Dutch and English people and repre-
sentative Government - - - - 45
Religious freedom and Public Schools - 46
The Church and the Dutch Domines - 47
CONTENTS (Continued)
Pagb
The Democratic Dutch - - - - 47
Troubles of the housewives - - - 48
The remaining years of Stuyvesant - - 49
The Dutch under English rule - - 49
King James II. dethroned - - - 50
The Jacob Leisler episode - - - 51
Ivcisler and his son-in-law executed - - 52
Destruction of Schenectady - - - 53
Captain Kidd - 54
Mutual friendship of the Dutch
and Rnglish people - - - - 55
The Dutch during the Revolutionary War 55
Support from Holland - - - - 57
The Dutch language ceases to be spoken
in America ------ 57
The Dutch Reformed Church - - - 58
The United States
Holland I^and Company - - - - 59
Emigration under the rule of
King William I. 60
Settlers in Iowa under Domine Scholte - 60
Michigan and Chicago - . - - 60
Fruit growers in California - - - 61
Paterson, N. J. 61
Sayville, L. I. ------ 62
Philadelphia, Pa. . - - - - 62
Extradition treaty made in 1872 - - 62
Holland America Line - - - - 63
West India Mail 64
Holland newspapers in America - - 65
Conditions in New York City - - - 65
Professionals as emigrants - - - 66
Eendracht Maakt Macht - - - - 67
The Netherland Chamber of Commerce
in America ------ 68
The Netherland Club of America - - 69
The Netherland Benevolent Society
of New York ------ 70
Our Consul-General ----- 71
Advice to newcomers - - - - 71
5©irectorsf
of
Cfje i?et!)erlanb Cfjamber of Commerce
in i^lmerica
J^onorarp ^rc£(ibcnt
JHR. DR. J. LOUDON
Minister of The Netherlands at Washington, D. C.
J^onorarp Vite-^regibcnt
J. R. PLANTEN
Consul-General of The Netherlands at New York
Wnm expires in 1910
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT
T. GREIDANUS
Ccnn expires in 1911
COL. JOHN JACOB ASTOR
W. BAYARD VAN RENSSELAER
D. G. BOISSEVAIN
JOHN F. PRAEGER
tCcrm expires in 1912
STUYVESANT FISH
W. C. HOUSTON
A. GIPS
J. SCHIMMEL
^resibent
D. G. BOISSEVAIN
^icc'^resibent
STUYVESANT FISH
^ecrctarp=tKreaSurer
T. GREIDANUS
Counsel
A. L. PINCOFFS, LL.D.
5
Committee on import anb Export Crabe
For thk Year 1909-1910
D. G. BOISSEVAIN, ex-officio
T. GREIDANUvS, ex-officio
H. BRUGMAN J. EZN.
LOUIS I. DUBOURCQ
J. H. DUYS
A. C. H. NYLAND
9ubit Commtttee
For the Year 1909-1910
LOUIS I. DUBOURCQ
FRED. C. GOLDSMITH
Committee on i^ominationst
For the Year 1909-1910
B. HENDRIKS
E. VLIERBOOM
H. J. VON HEMERT
iSanbcrs!
THE COAL AND IRON NATIONAL BANK
De correspondentie met de Kamer kan in het
Hollandsch worden gevoerd.
Coitfiitttution
of
^ctljcrlanb Cijamber of Commerce
in America
Incorporated under the laws of the State of New York,
May 28, 1903.
Artici^K I.
This Society shall be called " The Netheri^and
Chamber of Commerce in America."
Article II.
©bjcct
" The Netherland Chamber of Commerce in Amer-
ica" is founded to represent and foster in the United
States the interests of the commerce, industry, agri-
culture, navigation, arts and science of the Netherlands
and its Colonies, and to increase the commerce of the
United States with the Netherlands and its Colonies.
Article III.
The principal offices of the Chamber shall be in the
City of New York.
Branch offices may be established in other cities of
the United States.
Article IV.
Slnnual anb TLiit iHemfaerst
There shall be Annual and Life Members.
Kligible to membership shall be :
First. Hollanders, Dutch firms, corporations and
institutions.
7
8 Constitution
Second, Naturalized Americans of Dutch parentage.
Third, Americans of Dutch ancestry.
Application for membership must be made to the
Board of Directors, who shall elect the members.
The dues of annual members residing in the United
States shall be ten dollars, and of annual members
residing outside of the United States ten guilders,
pa3'able the 1st of May of each year.
The payment of two hundred dollars at one time
by a person eligible to membership and residing in
the United States, shall constitute such person a life
member ; the payment of two hundred guilders by a
person eligible to membership, and residing outside
of the United States, shall likewise constitute him a
life member, but only natural persons shall be eligible
to life membership.
The fiscal year shall run from the 1st of May to the
30th of April.
Any member failing to notify the Secretary in
writing before the close of the fiscal year of his inten-
tion to terminate his membership shall be considered
a member for the ensuing year.
Article V.
iHembcrsi cxoffitio
Dutch Consuls in the United States shall be mem-
bers ex-ofl5cio.
Artici^e VI.
I.oa!£( of itlembcrsfjip
The Board of Directors shall have power to drop
from the roll of members the name of any member
who may fail to pay his daes within three months
after the same are due.
Constitution 9
The Board of Directors may also expel any member
for dishonorable conduct or dealings, but only after
a hearing of such member at a regular meeting of the
Board of Directors, at which no less than six directors
must be present and by a two-thirds vote of the direct-
ors present, provided that due notice be given by the
Secretary-Treasurer, both to the accused member and
to all the directors, of the day when such hearing
shall be held and of the charge against such member.
If the accused member shall not appear at such hear-
ing in person or by proxy, the vote may be taken on
his expulsion the same as though he had appeared.
ARTICI.K VII.
jFounbcrst anb JBonors:
A donation of one hundred dollars by a member
residing in the United States, or of one hundred
guilders by a member residing outside of the United
States, made within the first year after the incorpor-
ation of the Chamber, shall entitle such member to
the name of Founder, and a list of such Founders
shall be published in every annual report of the
Chamber.
Such a donation made after the first year after the
incorporation of the Chamber shall entitle such mem-
ber to the name of Donor, and a list of such Donors
shall also be published in every annual report of the
Chamber.
Article VIII.
Associate JJlcmberg
Any person, firm, corporation or institution, if
engaged in pursuits connected with the purpose of
the Chamber, may be admitted by the Board of Direc-
tors as an Associate Member upon an annual payment
of ten dollars.
10 Constitution
ARTICIvE IX,
IDtrectorif, oilittxi anb ijonorarp ollittti
The affairs of the Chamber shall be managed by a
Board of Directors, consisting in addition to the hon-
orary officers hereinafter named, of ten members,
who shall be elected at the annual meeting and who
shall elect from their number a President, Vice-
President and Secretary-Treasurer ; and all powers
not specifically conferred on the members at their
annual meeting shall vest in said Board of Directors.
One-half of the members of the Board, including
the President and Secretarj'-Treasurer, shall be resi-
dent Hollanders or naturalized Americans. The other
members shall be chosen from the members of Dutch
ancestry .
The members of the Board of Directors shall be
chosen for terms of three j-ears, subject to the follow-
ing provision : The Board of Directors to be elected
at the first annual meeting (1904) shall divide itself
into three classes, the first class consisting of four
members retiring at the end of the first year, the
second class consisting of four at the end of the
second year, and the third class consisting of two at
the end of the third year, the members of each class
being half resident Hollanders or naturalized Amer-
icans and half Americans of Dutch ancestry.
In 1905 at the annual meeting, and annually there-
after, Directors shall be chosen for terms of three
years in place of those whose terms shall then expire.
The members of the Board shall be eligible for re-
election .
The election of ofiicers shall be by ballot and the
majority of the votes shall be necessary for an election.
Constitution 11
Should a vacancy occur in the Board of Directors,
a successor for the unexpired term shall be elected by
that body.
The Minister of the Netherlands at Washington,
D. C, shall be Honorary President. The Consul-
General of the Netherlands in the City of New York
shall be Honorary Vice-President.
Article X.
illectingsf of tf)e H^oarb of JSirectors!
The Board of Directors shall meet at the call of the
President, and such shall also be made upon the
written request of any three members of the Board.
Three Directors shall be necessary to constitute a
quorum.
Article XI.
©utiesf of ®li\ttxi
Pi-esident. — The President shall exercise a general
supervision over the affairs of the Chamber. He, or
in his absence, the Vice-President, shall preside at
all meetings of the Chamber and of the Board of
Directors, and he shall have the casting vote in case
the number be equal on a division.
In the absence of both President and Vice-President,
a presiding officer shall be selected, chosen by and
from the Board of Directors.
In addition to the powers hereby specifically con-
ferred, the President shall have such power as shall be
conferred on him by the Board of Directors.
Vice-President. — The duties of the President, in
case of his absence, shall devolve upon the Vice-
President.
12 Constitution
Secretary- Treasurer. — The Secretary-Treasurer
shall have the care of all documents and shall con-
duct the correspondence of the Chamber and of the
Board of Directors. He shall keep minutes of the
proceedings of the Chamber and of the Board of
Directors.
He shall notify members of their election and shall
give due notice of all meetings.
He shall prepare the annual report, covering the
proceedings of the Chamber, as well as other reports
which the Chamber may publish, under the general
guidance of the Board.
He shall have charge of all moneys and other assets
of the Chamber.
He shall at the annual meeting present a statement
of the financial affairs of the Chamber. This state-
ment must have been previously audited by two
members appointed for the purpose by the Chamber
at the preceding annual meeting.
The Board of Directors shall fix the salary of the
Secretary-Treasurer.
ARTICI.E XII.
iMeetingS
The chamber shall hold an annual meeting on the
third Saturday in the month of May for the purpose
of electing members of the Board of Directors and for
the transaction of such other business as may come
before the meeting.
In addition to the Annual Meeting, special meet-
ings may be called when the Board shall judge proper,
and also when requested in writing by any ten mem-
bers; in such request the object for which such meet-
ing is desired shall be specified.
Constitiitioyi 13
Ten members of the Chamber shall be necessary to
constitute a quorum.
The Secretary shall give at least five days notice of
the time and place of all meetings of the Chamber to
the members residing in the United States, and at
least three days notice of all meetings of the Board of
Directors to the directors.
Voting by proxy is not allowed at any of the meetings
of the Chamber.
Article Xlli.
The Board of Directors shall have povi^er to make
all By-Laws not inconsistent with this constitution.
ARTICI.E XIV.
The Chamber is prohibited from engaging in any
commercial transaction on its own account or in any
transaction other than those necessary for the execu-
tion of its purposes.
Artici^E XV.
^menbmentg
Amendments to any part of this Constitution shall
be made only at a special meeting called for the pur-
pose of making such amendments, such object being
expressed in the notice of such special meeting.
14 The Dutch in New Netherland
ontract met 5|enrp J^ubsion ^
/^P heden Den 8 January inV Jaar onses Heeren Een
Duysent scs Hondert en negen syn met malkan-
dercti geaccordeert en ovcrkomen Dc Bewintheh-
beren van de Oost Indische Compagnie van de Caiiier
van Amsterdam van de tienjarige Reeckse tereenre.
En Mr. Henry Hudson Engelsman ter andere syde,
In maniere navolgende. Te weten: Dot de voorst :
Bewinthebberen metten eerslen sullen equyperen een
scheephen of Jaght^ van omlrent Dertigh lasten waar-
niede de voorn : Hudson omtreftt den eerslen van
Aprils van volck, vivres en andere nootlyckheden wel
voorsien sal seylen om passagie te soecken door V
noorden, benoorden Nova Sembla om, en soo lange de
longitudine vervolghen, dat hy sal konnen sylen zuyd-
ivaart tot op de hooghte van sestigh graden, eft soo
veel kennisse van Landen sien te bekomen als sonder
menchelyck tyt verlies sal konnen geschieden en is V
doenlyk stracks zvederom keeren, om aan de Bewinthe-
bberen te doen getrouwelyck rapport en relaes van syn
reyse, en overgeven syn Journalen, Coursen, kaerten,
en alles wat hetn op de reyse wedervaeren is, sonder
iets aghter te houden, Opwelcke aanstaende reyse de
Bewinthebberen aan den voorst: Hudson sullen betalen
soo tot syn uytrustinge op de voorst: reyse, als tot
onderhout van syn vromc en kinderen, de sotntne van
aght Hondert Gulden, en ingevalle {daar Godt voor
sy) hy in een jaar niet wederomme hier te lande, of
hicr omlrent en quame te arriveren, sullen de Bewint-
hebberen nogh aan syn Huysvrouwe betalen twee
Hondert Gl courant, en alsdan aan hem. en syne erven
niet vorder gehouden syn. Ten waere hy doer na
and The United States 15
nogh moghle konien te arriveren^ ofte dat hy binnens
jaars gekomen zvaar, ende de passagie goet ende
bequaem datse Conip: wedcrcmme sonde gebruyckett,
gevonden hadde, In ivelcken gevalle de Bewinthebberen
aan den voorn: Hudson voor syne periculen, moeyten
en konste sullen recompenseren tot hare discretie
waarinede de voorn : Hudson tevreden is. Ende in-
gevalle de Bewinthebberen goetvonden alsdan deselve
reyse te vervolgefi en continueren, is met den voorn :
Hudson geaccordeert en verdragen dat hy hier te
Lande syn woonstee met vrouw en kinderen sal neinen,
en hem van niemant anders als van de Comp: laten
gebruycken en dat tot redelyckheid en discretie van de
Bewinthebberen die hem ook van den selven dienst
vorderen alsdan in alle billyckheit en redelyckheit
beloven te vergenoegen en contenteren, A lies sonder
argh of list. /« kennisse der waerheyt syn hier van
gemaeckt twee contraden van eenen teneur, en by beyde
partyen onderteyckent, alsmede by Jodocus Hondius,
als tolck en getuyge, Datum als boven, was eeteeckent,
Dirck van Os, J. Poppe^ Henry Hudson, lager sfont
By my Jodocus Hondius als getuyge,
16 The Dutch in New Netherland
ontract ixiitf) Hentp ?|ubsJon -^
r\N this day, tlie 8th of January in the year of our
Lord, One Thousand Six Hundred and Nine
the Directors of the East India Company of the
Chamber of Amsterdam of the ten yearly series on the
one part and Mr. Henry Hudson, Englishman, on
the other part, have agreed as follows. To wit: The
Directors mentioned above will equip a ship or yacht
of about thirty tons, zvith which the said Hudson, pro-
vided ivith a crew, victuals and otiier necessaries, will
sail on or about the first of April to look for a passage
through the North, yiorth of Nova Sembla, and will
continue to sail in longitudinal direction until he will
be able to sail to a latitude of sixty degrees, and will
endeavor to obtain as much tc?iowledge as possible of
countries as ivill be possible ivilhout exceptional loss of
time and, if possible, zvill afterivards returtt to report
faithfully to the Directors, zvill deliver his logbook,
courses, charts and zvill relate all events of his journey,
without hiding anything ; for zvhich voyage the Direc-
tors will pay unto the said Henry Hudson, as well for
his equipment as for the keep of his wife and
children, the sum of Eight Hundred Guilders, and i7i
case {w/iich the Lord preventeth) he does not return in
this country, or in its neighborhood, zvithin a year,
the Directors zvill make an additional payment to his
wife of Two Hundred Guilders currettcy, and after
that will not be held to any further payments to him-
self or his heirs. Unless after that time he were still
to return, or in case he returns within a year, and that
he has properly found the passage so that the Company
can fuake use of same again, in which case the Direc-
and- The United States 17
tors ivill reward the said Hudson as they may see fit
for his perils, troubles and stiill, with ivhich the said
Hudson will be satisfied. And in case the Directors
decide to contiujie the use of this same route, it is
as;reed that the said Hudson, zvith his wife and child-
ren, will take tip domicile in this country and will not
place his services at the disposal of anyone but the
Company and such at the discretion of the Directors,
who will demand of hitn such services and promise to
re'ivard him. as is just and reasonable. All this agreed
to in good faith. In witness whereof two contracts
have been made of the same tenor and signed by both
parties, as also by Jodocus Hondius as interpreter and
7vitncss. Date as above, was signed, Dirck van Os,
f. Poppe, Henry Hudson, and. lower, By me Jodocus
Ho7tdii!S as witness.
tEfje ©utcij in i^eto i^etfterlanb
anb
tlTlje ?BnitetJ States;.
That ' ' tlie Dutch have taken Holland " is so well
known that such statement will never give any cause
for argument; but that the Dutch once upon a time
also took " little old New York," or rather the land
upon which ovir proud city now stands, we have only
recently been reminded by the preparations for the
great celebration which is now so near at hand. And
even at present the accomplishments of the Dutch
in America are somewhat crowded into the back-
ground by the name of the Englishman command-
ing the first ship that explored the waters of the
great and majestic river now bearing his name.
The exploration of this river however was only
incidental to the subsequent events that have been
very material agents in creating a form of government
and conditions as we know them to-day. It is there-
fore the intent of this little booklet to give, in brief,
the story of happenings in this section of the world,
and principally to show the part played by the Dutch
people in the development of political and social life.
Recent publications have fully informed us regard-
ing the entering of the bay by " De Halve Maene,"
under command of Hudson, on September the
2ud, 1609; that he sailed up the river to the present
site of the city of Albany, and again set sail for
Europe on October the 4th, arriving in Dartmouth
on November the 7th. Here " De Halve Maene"
was detained by the English, but after some delay a
new crew arrived from Holland and she was taken
19
20
The Dutch in Neiv Nether land
Pur
Traders
1609-1612
Block's explo-
ration of L,ong
Island Sound
and formation
of the United
New Nether-
land Company
back to Amsterdam, with Robert Juet in charge,
Hudson remaining in luigland and re-entering the
service of the Muscovy Company, with which he had
been connected before contracting with the Kast India
Company.
The stories brought to Holland about quantities of
furs obtainable in the valley of this river, induced
many merchants to despatch vessels to the newly dis-
covered territory, and between the years 1609 and
1612 we find records of large numbers of vessels
which set sail for our coast. If during these years
settlements were built, they must have been of a very
temporary nature, merely for the purpose of collect-
ing furs, as we find no reliable records referring to
permanent colonies.
Amongst the many traders visiting these shores, we
find the names of Adriaan Block and Hendrick Christ-
iansen, who in 1612, respectively iu the " Tyger "
and the "Fortuin," set sail for the new world.
Returning from one of his voyages, Block brought
back with him, in addition to the usual cargo of furs,
two sons of Indian chiefs, the first which had ever
been seen in Holland. Christiansen thoroughly explor-
ed the Hudson river between the years 1612 and 1621,
during which period he made ten trips to the Upper
Hudson, in which region he built a fort on the site of
the present city of Albany, while in 1614 he erected a
"ronduit," or circular fort, at Esopus.
Adriaan Block's vessel, from some cause or other,
caught fire and was totally destroyed. A new ship, of
about 16 tons burden, was built to replace the
"Tyger". This vessel, called the "Onrust, " rep-
resented the first product of the shipbuilder's skill on
the island of Manhattan.
and The United States 21
At this time, in March, 1614, the Dutch Congress
promised that he who discovered a new country and
should give information thereof within a fortnight
after his return in the fatherland, after having made
four voyages to the nevv' land, would receive a
monopoly of its trade.
His ambition fired by this offer, Block decided to
sail up the East River and explore the country in that
direction, when, to his great surprise, in proceeding
up the L/ong Island Sound, he found what he at first
believed to be an inland sea. It should be added that up
to this time it was believed that New England came
down to the sea, and no knowledge existed regarding
a sea-arm between the mainland and an island facing
the ocean. He explored the surrounding country and
waters, discovering Block Island and Block Island
Sound, which have perpetuated his name. While Block
was engaged in exploring the Sound, Christiansen
made a trip along the south coast of Long Island, and
their combined efiforts resulted in a complete map of
the island and the surrounding waters.
On October the 1st, 1614, Block arrived in Holland
with this new map, showing the island, numerous
waterways and a new approach to Manhattan, as also
many rivers and the location of several Indian tribes.
On the 11th of the same month a charter was issued
and ' ' The United New Nctherland Company ' ' was
formed, which controlled the territory lying between
the Connecticut and Susquehanna rivers.
As the foregoing events have shown, the only
object in visiting these shores was the gathering of
riches — no desire for permanent settlement existed as
yet — this was to be brought about by other causes.
At this time, during the twelve year's truce, Holland
22
The Diitdi in Nciv Netherland
ChatterinE
of the West
India Company
in 1621.
First settlers
arrive under
leadership of
Jesse de Forest
was prosperous, and her ships visited every sea and
every shore to obtain valuable merchandise for the
markets of the fatherland. And even during war times
far more applicants were found to join the fleet and
go forth to capture rich Spanish galleons, than could
be obtained to follow the peaceful and quiet pursuit of
settling in and developing a new country.
In 1621, after the truce with Spain had expired, the
West India Company was chartered. The Governor-
General of the corporation had to be commissioned
and approved by Congress, but, with this exception,
its powers were sovereign. It could effect treaties
and alliances with princes and potentates, erect forts,
plant colonies, carry on war and establish govern-
ments. As we have said, there were few Dutch
willing to set forth as colonists of the new possessions,
and settlers were hard to find. There were in Hol-
land, however, several hundred thousands of Wal-
loons, living as exiles from their own country in the
land where religion and speech was free, and of these
some few were willing to try their fortunes in the new
world.
Under leadership of Jesse de Forest thirty-one
families from Ivcyden set forth in the " Nieuw Neder-
land," in March, 1623, accompanied by the armed
yacht, "DeMakreel," under command of Captain Cor-
nells J, May, On arrival in the bay, several families
disembarked on the land named after the seven
states of the Republic, Staten Island. In a " bocht "
or bend in the East River others made a settlement,
in commemoration of which event this " bocht" was
afterwards called " Walen Bocht, " and the change
to the present name of ' ' Wallabout ' ' in Brooklyn
can easily be traced. Eighteen families were carried
Holland and
England
and The United States 23
up the river, settling on the site of the city of Albany,
under command of Adrian Joris, the Lieutenant of
Captain May; and it was in this settlement, in June,
1625, that the first baby in the colony was born.
Before proceeding further it might be well to see in
how far the Netherlands had a clear title to the terri- Claims of
tory newl}' occupied, according to international rights
as understood in those days.
In the original charter of Virginia, as issued in
1606, King James of England claimed possession of
that part of America lying between the 34th and 45th
parallel, but at the same time it should be borne in
mind that it was Queen Elizabeth who asserted the
doctrine that mere discovery of lands across the sea
was not sufficient to provide the discoverer with a
valid title, but that this should be followed up by set-
tlement and occupation.
In 1619, Thomas Dermer, an English navigator,
was sent out by the Plymouth Company to make a
trip of exploration through these waters, and on this
occasion he followed the same route taken by Adrian
Block, only in reversed direction. He came down the
East River and passed Manhattan without touching,
and without noticing anj- Dutchmen. In the spring
of 162(1 he returned and found on Manhattan many
busy fur traders, to whom he remarked that they
were trespassing on English territory, to which they
replied that they had found no Englishmen when
they came here and hoped that they had given no
offence. When Dermer returned to London with the
news of the busy fur trade which was carried on in
Manhattan, a new charter was drawn up in the name
of the Council of New England, bj- which possession
was claimed of all lands lying on the American Conti-
24
The Dutch in Nciv Nctherland
Captain May,
first head of
the Colony
Pieter Minuit,
first Governor
nent between the 40tli and 48th parallel and reaching
from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. In this docu-
ment it was claimed that Kinj^ James was credibly
informed that these lands were not yet settled by
Christian people, but taken in consideration that such
territory would also include New France, it may
reasonably be suspected that the King's information
did not come from very reliable sources.
A year later the English ambassader in the Hague
was instructed to call the attention of the States Gen-
eral to the fact that the Dutch in America were occu-
pying territory belonging to England, but the result-
ing discussions do not seem to have had any effect,
and it cannot be traced whether any answer was sent
to the English Government.
In opening up these settlements, the Dutch had the
advantage over their neighbors in the previous exper-
ience of the Dutch East India Company in other
parts of the world. They knew what should be pro-
vided for, and came well equipped with building and
farming implements, seeds, etc. In 1625 the first
two shiploads of cattle and horses, pigs and sheep
arrived, so that the colony w^as now well on the way
to become a full fledged commitnity, prepared to sup-
ply its own wants.
The first settlement in Manhattan was started under
the leadership of Captain Ma}^ who in 1624 was suc-
ceeded by Willem Verhulst. The colony, however,
began to look so promising, that the West India Com-
pany decided to send a Director-General to take over
the reins of the government. As such it appointed
Pieter Minuit, who sailed on December the 19th, 1625,
in the good ship ' 'Zeemeeuw, ' ' arriving on May the 4th,
1626 and bringing with him the " ziekentroosters".
and The United States 25
or comforters of the sick, Sebastiaan Jansen Krol and
Jan Huyck, to look after the spiritual welfare of the
burghers, Isaac de Rasieres, who had arrived July
the 26th, 1625, on the ship "Het Wapen Van Am-
sterdam," was appointed as his secretary, and he was
further assisted in the task of governing by a council
of five members, which were chosen from the Dutch
in the colony.
Pieter Minuit's first official act was the purchase
from the Indians of the island of Manhattan, and for
the sum of sixty guilders, or twenty-four dollars, he
obtained for the commuiiit}' about 22,000 acres, which
were paid for in beads, knives and similar articles.
The next work in hand was the building of a fort,
which was erected on the site where the present
custom house now proudly stands. The builder of Erection of
this fort, which was called Fort Amsterdam, v,-as P*- Amsterdam
Kryn Frederickse. It had four bastions, brick work
on the inside and sodded on the outside, but no moat
was dug around it. It may also be remarked that the
colony was equipped with a horse-mill for the bolting
of flour, the loft of which on Sundays served as place
of worship.
The settlers of the upper Hudson in Fort Nassau
in the meantime had succeeded in winning the good
will of the Mohawk Indians, and carried on a lively
trade in furs from that valley. The colonists of
New Amsterdam went after the same product in their
vessels and cruised the coast from Connecticut down
to the Delaware river. In order to promote this trad-
ing, Pieter Minuit greatly encouraged shipbuilding,
and had even the keel laid of a ship of 80 J tons bur-
den, called the " Nieuw Nederland," which was
loaded with furs and despatched to the fatherland, in
26
lite Dutch in New Netherla^id
Patroons and
the act of
Privileges and
Exemptions
order to show what the colony could do. More and
more the attention of Holland was drawn to the New
World, which showed such great possibilities; demon-
strated in a way by the following trade figures of New
Amsterdam for the year 1630 :
Imports, - - 113,000 guilders.
Exports, - 130,000
(or an excess of exports of 17,000 " )
Though this may be considered a fairly good show-
ing for a colony only newly started in a wilderness, it
was hardly sufficient to create much excitement
amongst the Directors of the West India Company.
The principal object of this organization was to go
after the spoils of war, which promised such rich
harvests in the captured fleets of the Spanish, while
colonization was only a secondary consideration. If
it be realized that the capture of the silver fleet in
1628 left the company proceeds of $15,000,000, and that
the next 3'ear sundry privateers brought in a bounty
of over $8,000,000 ; that in 1630 Brazil was taken and
occupied — these successes resulting in dividends of 25
and 50 per cent. — it need cause no wonder that so
little attention was paid to the settlements in the
Hudson River Valley. Those were "getting rich
quick ' ' days for large corporations, and the slow and
tedious procedure of colonizing and cultivating new
countries found little favor in the eyes of the men at
the helm.
The realization that greater inducements had to be
offered to increase the development of the colony, led
to the creation of the so-called " patroon system."
In 1629 the West India Company issued its charter of
" Privileges and Exemptions," by which it was de-
clared that any member of the Company who should
and The United States 21
bring to and settle in New Netlierland, within the
next four years, 50 grown up persons, should receive
a liberal grant of land to hold as " patroon " or lord.
Such land might have a frontage of 16 miles if on one
side of a river, or 8 miles if situated on both sides.
The patroon would be chief magistrate on his land,
but disputes of more that 50 guilders could be appealed
to the Director and his Council in New Amsterdam.
The tenants would be free from all taxation for 10
years, but during this period they would not be
allowed to change from one estate to another, or to
move from the country to the town. The patroons
would have full liberty to purchase goods in New
Netherlaud, New England or New France, with ex-
ception of furs, but such goods would have to pay in
New Am.sterdam an export tax of five per cent, before
they could be shipped to Kurope. The fur trade
remained a monopoly of the Company. The weaving
of cloth was prohibited in order not to curtail the
field for the looms in Holland.
The first manor under this charter was acquired by
Samuel Godyn and Samuel Blommaert, two of the
Company's Directors, who started a settlement called
Swaenendal on the Delaware Bay, but the colonists,
32 in number, after the settlement had been in exist-
ence for only a short while, were murdered by the
Indians.
The second venture was by Michael Pauw, who
obtained land on the present site of Jersey City, call-
ing it Pavonia, which name still survives. The enter-
prise however, was not a financial success and he
finally sold his holdings to the West India Company.
The most successful of the settlements started
under the patroonship charter has been the colony on
28
The Dutch in Nciv Ndhcrland
Settlement in
Reiisselaerwyk
Wouter van
Twiller, second
Governor, and
arrival of the
first garrison
the upper Hudson by Kiliaan van Rensselaer, an
Amsterdam jeweler and member of the Chamber of
Amsterdam. From the Mohawks he purchased a plot
of laud now represented by Albany and Rensselaer
counties, which settlement was called Rensselaerwyk
and to which he brought several families from the
town of Nykerk, the place of his birth.
It did not take long before disputes arose between
the patroons and the Company, both sides claiming
that the contracts were not lived up to, and an indi-
rect result of these difficulties was the recall of Pieter
Minuit who left for Holland in INIarch, 1632, in the
good ship "Eendragt.''
His successor was Wouter van Twiller, a clerk in
the Company's office and a nephew of Kiliaan van
Rensselaer, through whose influence he seems to
have obtained his appointment.
He arrived in April 1633 on the ship ' ' Zoutberg, ' '
accompanied by Domine Everardus Bogardus, the
first clergyman, and Adam Roelandzoon, the first
schoolmaster, who came to New Netherland. There
also came over with him 104 soldiers, the first garri-
son to take up its abode in New Netherland.
Van Twiller, in later years, has often been made
the subject of caricaturists, who have either wilfully
misrepresented him or who erred through lack of
knowledge of the real facts. In the first place he is
usually pictured as a large, fat man of advanced age
in which case he is substituted for his father, one of
the Directors of the Company, as he was a young m.an
of 27 years when he was sent over as Director-Gen-
eral of the colony.
His lack of decision in many cases has given him
the name of "De Twyfelaar," or "Doubter," but this
and The United States 29
hesitancy should not be blamed upon him personally,
but on the peculiar conditions which existed during
his rule. In other instances, where his course was
clear, he certainly showed a good deal of activity,
courage and chivalry.
At the time of his arrival the war with Spain was
still raging, and the new Governor received instruc-
tions from the States-General not to begin hostilities
with his English neighbors under any circumstances,
as Holland at that moment could hardly afford to be
entangled in a war with still another country. Never-
theless there were sufficient grounds for a call to
arms, on account of the utter disregard by the Eng-
lish on the Connecticat river of the Dutch territorial
rights, but bound hand and foot by instructions from
home, van Twiller could only resort to a game of
bluff ; if this did not have the desired result, he could
not back up his demands by force of arms.
There seems to be no doubt, however, that van
Twiller was somebody of an over-convivial character
and at the many gatherings with his comrades, was
wont to imbibe rather freely, which could hardly in-
crease his prestige amongst the burghers and their
wives. He has also been accused of not being averse
to peculation and to have made use of his exalted
position to obtain many lands, while it also ma)' be
added that, though the Government farms hardly
paid expenses, his private bouweries yielded him
large revenues yearly.
One of his first acquisitions was "Nooten Eiland"
or Nut Island, called Pagganck by the Indians, which Origin of
he obtained from the aborigines in exchange for some Tciand
axe-heads, a string of beads and a few nails. After
30
The Dutch in New Nctherland
Troubles
with the
EnRlish in
Connecticut
this purchase the island's name was changed to
Governor's Island, which name it has retained until
the present time.
The main difficult}- with which van Twiller had to
contend was the aggressiveness of the English, who, by
virtue of the charter of the Council of New Kngland,
did not recognize the territorial rights of the Dutch.
A few days after his arrival, Jacob Eelkins, formerly
in the service of Amsterdam merchants, during which
period he had built Fort Nassau (now Albany), but
who had since entered the service of Clober}' & Co., a
London firm, entered the river in command of an
English ship, named "William." Van Twiller order-
ed him to come ashore and asked him what the object
of his visit was, to which Eelkins replied that he was
on English territory and came to trade with the
Indians. Notwithstanding the counter arguments of
van Twiller, nothing seems to have been done and
Eelkins, after two days delay, quietly sailed up the
river, van Twiller apparently being at a loss what to
do under the circumstances in connection with the
instructions from home. After a few days, however,
persuaded by Captain de Vries, who had been in com-
mand of the ruined colony at Swaanendael, it was
decided to send a pinnace and a caravel with part of
the troops after Eelkins, whom they overtook near
Fort Orange. He had already collected a large
quantity of furs, which were confiscated, and the ship
was escorted down the bay to start the homeward trip
without cargo, saving ballast.
, Other troubles faced van Twiller on the Connecticut
river, where, in 1632, large tracts of land had been
purchased from the Indians and where, on the present
site of Hartford, Fort "De Goede Hoop" had been
erected. Van Tvidller appointed as commander of the
and 7 he United States 31
new fort his former playmate, Jacobus van Corlaer,
who also came from Nykerk, while Hans Janse Een-
cluys was put in charge of the two cannon which
had been placed on the fort. At the mouth of the
river thej' nailed to a large tree the arms of the States-
General, which place was called Kieviet's Hoek.
The English people of the Plymouth colony, how-
ever, hardly relished these proceedings and in order
to show that they did not recognize the claims of the
Dutch, in 1635, the younger John Winthrop, acting
under orders, pulled down the arms of Holland at
Kievit's Hoek and erected a fort which he called
Saybrook. When van Twiller learned of this, he
sent a sloop from New Amsterdam with soldiers to re-
gain possession, but, as the commander of this sloop
found the fort armed with two cannon, which would
necessitate a rather vigorous fight, they returned to
the town, mindful of the instructions from home to
avoid war at any cost.
In the year before, Lieutenant William Holmes had
sailed up the river to take possession of some lands
which had been purchased from the Mohegan Indians.
As they passed fort "De Goede Hoop," the com-
mander summoned them to return, as, otherwise
they would be fired upon. Holmes replied that he
was acting under orders of the Governor of Plymouth
and would go on, volley or no volley, and the Dutch
again had to pocket their pride and let him pass.
Holmes thereupon proceeded to Windsor where he built
a house with a strong stockade around it. Later van
Twiller sent a force of 70 men to drive the English
from their stronghold but as such evacuation could
only be obtained by a \agorous fight, and not by par-
liamentary negotiations, they had to return to New
Amsterdam vsnthout having accomplished anything.
32
The Dutch in Neiv Netherland
Governor
Kieft and the
Indian wars
It can be fully realized how irritating these pro-
hibitive instructions were for a young man like
Wouter van Twiller, and to do him justice, it should
be said that in cases where there was no question of
the rights, as between Dutch and English, he proved
to be of the right mettle, and not afraid to have re-
course to force of arms.
Witness his proceedings in reference to the Indians,
whom he held to a strict accounting for any misdeeds
they committed, regardless of whether the victim was
English or Dutch, and by keeping order amongst the
aborigines in this territory, he certainly strengthened
the Dutch territorial rights.
Though the colony had prospered greatly under the
rule of van Twiller, during which time a second
church was built in New Amsterdam and a large
number of windmills were erected on Manhattan, he
was not without enemies, and the end of his reign was
drawing near. Domine Bogardus denounced him to
the States-General for peculation and for favoring his
uncle's colony at Rensselaerwj'k; this resulted in his
dismissal from office while the Company was investi-
gating the charges made against him.
As his successor was appointed Willem Kieft, and if
ever a bad choice was made by a company having
charge of such large territory, it was made in this
case. It is hard to understand why the Directors of
the West India Company selected him, as it appears
that there were many rumors about his former life,
and it may be fairly deduced that his antecedents
were not properly investigated, but that his promises
of enforcing reforms won him the appointment.
Kieft seems to have been a man without sagacity or
diplomacy, which qualities were of the utmost necess-
and The United States 33
ity ill a country populated by so many Indian tribes,
all having their differences and grievances.
Moreover, through a more liberal way of encourag-
ing emigration, since 1638, Huguenots, English and
other settlers had begun to arrive in the colony, and
these different units likewise had to be kept at peace
with each other. It had been decided that foreigners
should have the same rights as Hollanders and that
all monopolies should be abandoned. Emigration
was further encouraged by free transportation to New
Netherland of intending settlers with their families,
who then received free of charge farms, cattle and
implements, for which they had to pay, for 6 years,
an annual rental of about $200; while further pro-
visions were made for loans of money, and for the
supply of necessaries on credit.
Kieft arrived in March, 1638, on the ship "Haring"
and at once took a strong hold of the affairs of Gov-
ernment. As his councillor he appointed Jean La
Montague, a Huguenot physician, and between them
they constituted the whole Government, La Montagne
having one vote and Kieft two.
Kieft's administration was one of proclamations,
entirely ignoring the wishes of the population. No
trading was allowed without a license, capital punish-
ment was instituted, sailors were not allowed to stay
on shore after sundown without special permission,
and so forth.
One of his first acts was to build a brewery, the
first in the United States, while he also erected a
hotel at the corner of Pearl Street and Coenties Slip,
which became later the Stadthuys or City Hall.
The same iron hand with which Kieft started out to
rule the burghers of New Amsterdam, he meant to be
34 The Dutch in New Nethcrland
felt by the Indians of the neighboring territories, and
it is this rule by force, without diplomacy or wisdom,
which was the cause of the manj' bloody massacres and
the almost total devastation of New Netherland dur-
ing his administration.
It appears that some pigs were stolen from a settler
in Staten Island by one of the Company's servants,
but it was claimed that the theft had been committed
by some of the Raritan Indians, who lived twenty
miles inland. Without proper investigation, Kieft,
in order to punish them, sent a company of soldiers
who killed several, burned their houses anrl destroyed
their crops. The Raritans revenged themselves by
massacring a settlement in Staten Island; which Kieft
met by offering a premium for every Raritan 's head.
At the same time a wheelwright of Manhattan,
Claes Smit, had been murdered by a Weckquaesgeck
Indian of Yonkers, in settlement of an old score, and
the sachem of his tribe refused to give up the mur-
derer. In order to be able to insist upon the giving
up of the culprit, which might mean war, it would be
necessary to put the town in a state of defense and re-
pair the fort. In order to raise the revenue to cover
the cost of these repairs, Kieft laid a tax on the river
Indians, which act greatly incensed the whole Dutch
population, as this was contrary to all the precedents
and principles of the Dutch, always ardent defenders
of the maxim "no taxation without representation."
A similar event happened in Hackensack, where a
settler was shot and killed by a drunken Indian. The
chiefs of the murderer's tribe offered to pay 800
fathoms of wampum, or bead money, to the victim's
widow, in atonement for the deed, but claimed that
they could not deliver the murderer as he had fled to
the Haverstraw Indians.
arid The United States 35
A few months later a party of Mohawks, armed with
Muskets, came down the river to gather tribute from gronk's
the river tribes who, greatly alarmed, sought refuge treaty
in Pavonia and Manhattan. This seemed to Kieft an
exceptional opportunity to settle his grievances and in
the middle of the night he sent down his soldiers,
who massacred 120 Indians, bringing in the heads of
their victims as trophies of war. This resulted in a
general warfare, with continuous murder and retalia-
tion on both sides. After a while, however, the
Indians as well as the Dutch began to understand that
the carrying on of a war is a costly affair. Both sides
began to get tired of the controvers}- and at last a
treaty of peace was signed at the home of Jonas Bronk,
in the present Borough of the Bronx.
Notwithstanding this treaty it was found that the
peacemaking was premature, and hostilities began a-
new, until a force of 150 Dutch soldiers, under com-
mand of Captain James Underbill, an exile from
Boston, defeated the Algonquins near Stamford on a
clear winter night, leaving 700 dead Indians on the
field. Ere long the tribes on Long Island and West-
chester sued for peace, which finally ended the war.
The greatest burden of these wars naturally fell on
the people, who had to pay taxes to meet expenses,
and great dissatisfaction was felt wdth the rule
of Kieft. In the meantime a council of eight men had
been chosen, as Kieft found it was impossible to pro-
ceed altogether without consulting the representa-
tives of the people. Six months after the war these
eight men addressed a letter to the States General
explaining how the country had been devastated and
asking the recall of Kieft, charging him with the
responsibility of causing the war, Melyn and Kuyter,
36
The Dutch in New Netherland
Pieter
Stuyvesant
appointed
Governor
members of this council, taking the initiative in the
accusation against Kieft.
After this letter reached Holland, the Company de-
cided to relieve Kieft of the administration of the
Colon}' and appointed in his place Pieter Stuyvesant,
formerly Governor of Cura9ao.
If anybod}' could be expected to regain the con-
fidence of the people and to be received with the re-
spect due to an officer of such high rank, it would be
Stuyvesant, who had a long, honorable, military career
behind him, and who carried the proof of being a
brave soldier around with him in the form of a wooden
leg, having lost the natural one in one of the West
Indian wars.
No matter how much respect a military Governor
may command, or how true a servant of his superiors
he may be, as a civil administrator he often proves a
failure if he does not alter his tactics, and Stuj'vesant
was no exception. The colonists of New Amsterdam
were free-born burghers, not soldiers who could be
ridden over roughshod.
In the fatherland they had been brought up with a
firm belief in representative government and this be-
lief had not left them when setting forth to the New
World, as subsequent events will show.
Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam on May 24th
and was ceremoniously welcomed by the population.
With him came his wife, who was accompanied to the
colony by her sister, Mrs. Baj-ard and her three
children.
On his arrival he found the fort in a deplorable
state. Cows grazed on the grassy slopes and trampled
down the walls, while hogs rooted under the palisa-
does of the stockade. At once he began levying
and The United States
37
taxes to repair and rebuild the stronghold, placing a
new excise on spirits and wines, and increasing the
export duty on furs, in order to meet the expenses.
At the outset this caused trouble with the council,
who claimed that the company should pay for the
defences itself, but should not levy taxes from the
burghers for this purpose. As in the days of Kieft,
proclamation followed proclamation and the people
began to ask themselves if they were so much better
off than under the rule of the former Governor. One
of the leaders of the opposition was Adriaan van der
Donck, who incurred the disfavor of Stuyvesant to
such an extent that the Governor threw him into
prison.
It would lead us too far to relate in detail all the
squabbles between Stuyvesant and the council, but
suffice to say that they resulted at last in the sending
of the famous " Vertoogh " or demonstration to the
States-General ; this was written by Adriaan van der
Donck, who, in the meantime had been released from
prison, on the return of Melyn and Kuyter. Van
der Donck, with two others chosen from the foremost
burghers, was sent to Holland to present this docu-
ment to their High Mightinesses at the Hague, and
pleaded so well, that in 1635 New Amsterdam was in-
corporated as a city with a free municipal government,
consisting of a schout, two burgomasters, and five
schepens. At this moment the city could boast of a
population of about 800 souls.
One of the main grievances against Stuyvesant was
his intolerance in all matters pertaining to religion,
forbidding the erection of any churches except Cal-
vinistic Dutch Reformed, and in many cases cruelly
persecuting people belonging to any other faith. It
Religious
Intolerance
of the
Governor
38
The Dutch in Nezv Netherland
The patroons
and the
Governor
seems strange that a man like Stuyvesant should have
shown such intolerance, coming, as he did, from a
country whose people had fought for years for relig-
ious freedom and where no restrictions existed re-
garding worship according to individual belief. It
should further be mentioned that since the West
India Company had offered more liberal terms to in-
tending emigrants, quite an influx of foreign emi-
grants had begun, of people who fled from religious
persecution in their own country. There were Swed-
ish and German Lutherans, Baptists from Rhode
Island and Quakers from Boston ; while in 1654 the
first Jews, 23 in number, arrived in New Amsterdam,
having fled from Brazil after its recapture by the
Portuguese.
Public sentiment revolted against the persecution
of these people, who had expected to find in New
Netherland a haven of refuge, and when remonstran-
ces were made to the States-General, they found
sympathetic listeners, as it also was against the wishes
of the people in the fatherland. The Governor re-
ceived a rebuke, and this seems to have ended the
controversy.
It will be necessary to leave this city for a while
and proceed up the Hudson to the colony of Rens-
selaerwyk, established by Kiliaan van Rensselaer.
This colony had prospered more than any other in
New Netherland, and with prosperity came a certain
overbearance on the part of the patroons. They had
always refused to acknowledge the authority of the
Governor at New Amsterdam, claiming that they had
received their grants from the States-General direct,
and not from the Company. Emboldened by the
ease with which they could resist the Governor, they
even proceeded beyond the limits of the original grant
and The Lhiited States 39
and seized an island in the Hudson on wliich van
Rensselaer erected a fortress. This happened during
the reign of van Twiller, who wrote him asking by
what right he had seized the island. The answer was
' ^By wapen regV ' ( by the right of arms ) and this
seems to have settled the question. It was discovered
that many furs had been bought in his dominion by
private traders, thus depriving him of the profits of
this traffic, which induced him to invest this for-
tress, called Rensselaerstyn, with another right,
namely the "staple right," levying tribute from every
passing vessel. One day when Govert Loockermans
passed the fortress in his yacht "De Goede Hoop," a
shot was fired from the fort and he was ordered to
strike his flag. When asked for whom, the watch-
master Koorn of the fort replied ' ' Voor Heer Kiliaan
en het slapehrgt van Rensselaerstyn'''' (for Lord
Kilian and the staple right of Rensselaerstyn), upon
which Loockermans replied that he would not strike
the flag for anybody but the Prince of Orange and
their High Mightinesses the States-General, upon
which three shots were fired, damaging the ship.
For this act Koorn was summoned to New Amster-
dam and punished.
Sundry similar acts and the sale of firearms to the
Indians, which was forbidden on Manhattan, caused
many wordy wars between Stuyvesant and the pat-
roons, until at last the matter was laid before the
States-General, which resulted in the curtailing of the
powers of the lordly masters of Rensselaerstyn.
Another important event during Stuyvesant 's admin-
istration was the capture and annexation of the
Swedish settlements on the Delaware river.
William Usselinx, an Antwerp merchant who had
done much to promote the founding of the West
40 The Dutch in New Netherland
India Company, afterwards approached King Gustavus
Adolphus of Sweden with similar proposals, leading
The capture to the formation of the Soutli Company, which sent
of New
Sweden ^^'^ ships with emigrants and implements to the Dela-
ware river, where on the South shore, under leader-
ship of Pieter Minuit, who, in the meantime, had
entered the service of Sweden, they built fort Christina,
followed later by a settlement under John Printz on
Tinicum island, about 12 miles south of Philadelphia,
called New Gottenberg. Also some English from
New Haven tried to settle in that section, on Salem
creek, but they were promptly deported by the Dutch
and sent back to New Haven.
Though the Dutch were far from pleased with this
invasion of the Swedes in their territory, their strong-
holds in this section were not powerful enough to
resist by force or arms, as their only fortress was a
fort called Nassau, on the Delaware, and afterwards a
stockade on the present site of Philadelphia, erected
by Andries Hudde and named Beversvrede, the total
garrison of both fortifications being six men. The
same reason which kept the Dutch from opposing the
English by the force of arms in the occupation of their
territory, withheld them from ousting the Swedes, as
the States-General did not wish to run the risk of
getting into war with another power as long as they
were still fighting Spain.
In 1651 however, Stuyvesant had straightened out
other matters, so that he could devote more time to
the invaders in the south. Moreover, the treaty of
Miinster had been signed, while the Swedes were in
the midst of their war with Poland, so that no better
opportunity could be expected. He therefore made a
call for volunteers in New Amsterdam and succeeded
in forming an army of about 700, which was more than
and The United States 41
sufficient to overpower the Swedish colony, the whole
population of which did not consist of more than 500
all told. With this force he sailed for the Delaware,
where he demanded surrender of both fortresses,
which was promptly acquiesced by Prince, without a
drop of blood being shed. Thus ended the power of
Sweden in the new world, the colonists mostly pre-
ferring to stay under the Dutch rule instead of repatri-
ating, the choice given them by Stuyvesant.
While Stuyvesant was busy settling matters on the
Delaware, reports reached him of a renewed outbreak
amongst the Indians and he had to hurr)' north. As
usual the cause had to be found in the unjustified
killing of an Indian by a white man, and in a few days
about 350 colonists had been wantonly slain. The
fortifications were repaired and under the able leader-
ship of Stuyvesant peace was soon restored, but at the
cost of a renewed disgust on the part of the people
with the Company who failed to protect them in time
of danger.
As we have seen before, the income of the West
India Company originated mainly from the capture of
Spanish fleets, as development of peaceful trading
and colonizing was a branch of industry which was
hardly considered worthy of its attention. Since the
war with Spain had ended, this source of revenue had
dried up, while in 1651 a further blow was struck at
the prosperity of this corporation by the navigation
act, which stipulated that all goods which came on the
English markets, should be brought in English ships.
These two causes had impoverished the Company so
much, that when, in 1664, rumors were abroad that
an English fleet had been despatched with the intent
of capturing New Netherland, and Stuy\'esant asked
for ships and reinforcements, the Company was not
Fall of New
Netherland
42 7 he Dutch in New Netherland
able to give them, as it was then tottering on the
verge of bankruptcy.
According to the views of King Charles II. of Eng-
land, New Netherland belonged to England already,
and he therefore felt himself justified in granting
these lands to his brother, the Duke of York and
Albany, simply ignoring the doctrine of Queen Eliza-
beth. In order to expel the trespassers, a fleet of four
vessels was equipped, while the States-General in
Holland were hoodwinked by the claim that this fleet
was sent to enforce Episcopacy upon the New England
Colonies. The fleet really did sail to Boston, under
command of Colonel Richards Nicolls, already ap-
pointed Governor of the colony to be seized. From
there it sailed to New Amsterdam, and on Saturday,
August the 30th, 1664, came up the bay and demanded
surrender of the city. It was found that Nicolls had
omitted to sign the paper containing this demand, and
it was sent back for his signature, which gave Stuyve-
sant an opportunity to consult with the burgomasters
and schepens. The governor did not wish to surren-
der, but as the city was in no condition to offer
an}' resistance and the attacking force more than
overwhelming, the burgomasters and schepens would
not listen to such proposals, as they would only cause
unnecessary bloodshed and could not change the final
outcome. Moreover, they were not sorry to bid fare-
well to a ruler like the West India Company who had
failed to protect them in time of danger, had levied
hea^'y taxes and had trampled on their ideals of
representative government; but, on the contrary, had
burdened them with harsh administrators who had
ruled them in an arbitrary way, and through mis-
management had been instrumental in causing them
to lose what they had gathered through years of weary
and The United States
43
toil. Capitulation was therefore decided upon, and
on Tuesday morning Nicolls stepped ashore and took
over the reins of government.
Before bidding farewell to Stuyvesant and his rule,
for the sake of completeness, we might mention the
name of Anton van Korlaer, a trumpeter of the
garrison, and, according to the popular ver.sion, his
right-hand man Friday; authentic history does not
reveal anything remarkable about him, so that the
glory of this name may be granted to be due to the
need of story writers of later date of material to work
upon. It is claimed that when Stuyvesant found
little support for his plans of resistance amongst the
burghers in New Amsterdam, he despatched van
Korlaer to summon the colonists along the Hv;dson
to the rescue. It happened to be very stormy weather,
and when he came to the Harlem river, no boatman
could be found to ferry him across, as the attempt to
do so was considered foolhardy. Van Korlaer was
not to be thwarted by the elements in his determina-
tion to reach the other side, and swore that he would
get across '' In spyt van den duiveV^ (in spite of the
devil). He thereupon endeavored to swim across, but
was drowned in the attempt, and since that day the
scene of this occtirrence is called "Spuyten Duyvel."
After the capitulation and the landing of Nicolls,
the banner of St. George was run up to take the place
of the tricolor of the Republic, and it may well be
asked why no efforts were made by the States-General
to retake the colony; but apparently other matters of
weightier importance prevented them from taking
drastic measures, as soon afterwards we see the
Republic at war with England, with whom it had been
on such friendly footing for so many years.
Anton van
Korlaer and
Spuyten
Duyvel
44
TJic Dutch in Neiv Netherland
Recapture by
the Dutch
New
Netherland
exchanged for
Surinam
New Amsterdam was rechristened New York and
the fort named Fort James, which it retained for nine
years, i. e.: until 1673 when the Dutch were engaged
in their third war with England.
At last it seemed that a fleet could be spared to
attend to matters in the New World and in July of
that 3'ear a Dutch fleet of five vessels, under command
of Commodore Cornells Evertsen, Jr., sailed up the
bay and demanded surrender.
If the Dutch should be taken to task for having
their defenses in such a deplorable condition that no
resistance could be offered when a European enemy
threatened them under the rule of Stuyvesant, the
same can be said of the English on this occasion, and
after an attempt at delay by negotiation, the city
surrendered and once more the flag of Holland floated
over this offspring of the land of dykes and water.
The second occupation, however, lasted only for
a short while, as the next year a treaty of peace
between the two powers was signed at Westminster,
by which it was agreed that New Netherland would be
given back to England in exchange for the Surinam
Colony in South America. At the present day it seems
rather odd that at that time it was conceded by the
English that in granting this exchange, the Dutch got
the best of the bargain, but then again it should be
remembered that in those times possessions in the
tropical belt were valued much higher than those of a
northern climate. And after all, considering that the
English have been ousted for more than a century
from these, their erstwhile provinces, and that
Surinam even at the present day is still a Dutch
possession, it may be that the Dutch did get the better
half of the bargain after all.
a7id The United States
45
Curiously enough, bj' the way, Surinam, which is
called by English speaking people Dutch Guiana,
takes its name from the Earl of Surrey after whom it
was named Surreyham, and which was afterwards
changed by the Dutch to its present form.
After having seen the Dutch flag hauled down for
good in the northern part of the western hemisphere,
let us analyze the people who raised it here and who
had to live on in this country under new conditions.
It has often been claimed that representative
government of the people in the western hemisphere,
is not of Dutch origin, as some of the English colonies
had local government long before a city charter was
granted to New Amsterdam. This cannot be denied,
but at the same time it should be conceded that this
was not due to a lack of clamor for such government
on the part of the people, as has been seen in the
preceding pages, and which was the cause of
continuous disputes between the burghers and the
Governors. Moreover, conditions in the other colonies
were different. No greedy corporations held sway,
and the fatherland was not engaged in a long lasting
war with a mighty power, which required the full
attention of the Government at home, while the Dutch
at that time were, as they are to-day, a law-abiding
people, who would not easily endeavor to obtain by
revolt against the acknowledged authorities what they
could not gain by patient and persistent remonstration.
They could also hardly afford to sever themselves
from the Government to which they looked for protec-
tion in time of danger, surrounded as they were by
savages who outnumbered them a thousand fold.
They were, however, not lacking in ideals of poli-
tical and religious freedom such as they had learned
The Dutch and
English people
and repre-
sentative
Government
46
The Dutch in Neiv Nethcrland
Religious
Freedom and
Public Schools
at home and which they transplanted to American soil.
Kven if they had a long struggle before they ol)tained
that freedom for which they clamored, it should be
noted that this struggle never ceased, and when at
last the time came that these ideals won the field, the
experience in popular government on a larger scale
than the administration of local communities, which
the Dutch had gained in their fatherland, was of
great importance in forming the first confederacy in
later years.
In other matters, which are now the fundamental
principles of our great republic, the Dutch were far
ahead of their English neighbors. Religious freedom
was an acknowledged right, and, in those days, a
factor of no mean importance, and we have seen how
Stuyvesant incurred the general disapproval when he
tried to meddle with this principle. Public education
stood on a far higher level than anywhere else in the
world, and no distinction was made between boys and
girls, both going to the same schools and receiving
the same education, being the same principle which
is adhered to in the present American public school
system. In other countries this was as yet something
unheard of, and the schooling which the girls received
was generally of a very limited character. The
schooling of the children was considered a duty of the
State, and it created a great deal of dissatisfaction and
hostility when, under English rule, this item was
taken off the list of public charges. The result was
that this matter was taken in hand by the Dutch
churches and, as we can see to-day in Canada how
instrumental church education is in retaining the old
national tongue and customs, it wnll readily be seen
how this drastic measure of the English aided to keep
the Dutch together as one unit in an English colony.
iDid 771 e United States
47
Owing to the greater freedom of speech and the
written word in the Dutch Republic, printing presses
had plenty of work and, as a result, books were cheap.
They were obtainable for everybody and led to a
broader education and more liberal ideas. Such oc-
currences as burning of witches would have been
impossible in New Netherland, as the people were too
v.-ell read and too enlightened to make such things
possible.
In those daj-s, when newspapers were not yet in
existence, political events were considered fitting
material for sermons from the pulpit and usually, to
be a Domine or preacher, meant to be a harsh critic of
the Government. Especially Domine Bogardus was
an ardent agitator, and when the good burghers pre-
pared themselves on Sunday for divine service, they
could be assured that they would not have to complain
about the dulness of the sermon, which goes to show
that New York of to-day is not so very different from
New Amsterdam after all, as every New Yorker will
admit.
They were plain and truly democratic people that
came to these shores in those days. The long struggle
against the common foe in the time of the reformation
had levelled caste prejudice, and nobleman and
peasant had fought side by side against the Spanish
oppressors. No royal court, w4th retinue of lordly
followers, was known in Holland, and the foremost
men of the republic were those who had distinguished
themselves by valor, strategy, diplomacy or superior
knowledge. All were alike and equal, and it was only
during the English period that an aristocracy was
formed out of the followers belonging to the Govern-
or's retinue.
The Church
and the Dutch
Domines
The Democra-
tic Dutch
48 The Dutch i7i New Netherland
It is difficult to imagine that such people should
consist mainl}- of big, stout, lazy fellows, spending the
day in smoking tobacco out of long churchwardens
and filling in the rest of the time in drinking gin, as
some of the caricaturists of later day so fondly picture
them, especially when it is remembered that the
smoking of tobacco was not in common usage in Hol-
land in those days, but was adopted from the Con-
necticut English.
Referring to domestic life, we might also cite the
Troubles of the difficulties of the housewTives in obtaining suitable
housewives help. In the early days every woman was, as a matter
of course, her own cook and had to attend to every-
thing herself.
As prosperity came and work in the house and on
the farm multiplied, help had to be found, and as this
could not be obtained in the colon}', girls had to be
sent from Holland. There were a great many single
young men in the colony, who left the fatherland
attracted by the possibility of an adventurous life, and
who were eager suitors for the hand of the maidens
from home. The result was that the housewives did
not remain long in possession of the newly acquired
domestic treasures and as these usually came out
under some kind of a contract, the passage money
having been paid for by her mistress, many were the
cases of breach of contract which were brought before
the magistrate for his learned decision, and apparently
they were usually decided in favor of the wooing
swain.
By and by it became possible to train the Indians to
do housework, which helped a little, and afterwards
these were supplemented by the negro slaves, which
the West India Company began to import into the
ayid The United States
49
colony, though very much against the will of the
burghers.
Before passing on to the next chapter of the
history of the Diitch in America, it should be
mentioned that Stuyvesant, after a short stay in
Holland, in order to justify and explain his conduct
in connection with his surrender of the city, returned
to New York, where he retired to his farm on the
Bowery, then far outside the city, living there until
his death in 1672, at eighty years of age. He was
buried in St. Mark's church and a tablet in the wall
in this building announces this fact to visitors.
After the English had taken possession of this
colony, and the people had at last got rid of the
hated West India Company, the Dutch soon learned
that their cherished hopes of a more liberal and repre-
sentative government were to be disappointed. The
promises which had been made were not kept, and
though it is impracticable within the limits of this
booklet, to relate in detail all the controversies which
arose, it may be said that the struggle was never
given up and when at last the Revolutionary War
broke out, which was to free the American colonies for-
ever from the yoke of European denomination, the
people of this province had been well prepared to take
their share of the struggle, through this never ending
fight for their natural rights.
This does not mean , however, that the people did
not have their temporary successes, as shown by the
fact that in 1683, during the rule of Charles II. and
under Governor Dongan, a charter was enacted in-
suring the rights of the people by means of a perma-
nent popular representative assembly.
The remaininK
years of
Stu>-\'esant
The Dutch
under Einglish
rule
50 The Dutch in New Netherland
Charles II. died, however, before he had signed the
document, and his successor the Duke of York and
Albany, refused to complete the work begun by his
brother, and sent secret instructions that the charter
should be forthwith repealed.
It should be mentioned that it was in this charter
that, for the first time in any such document, the ex-
pression, '''The People'" was used, which, in the later
days, was to become a term of such sovereign meaning.
It was under the rule of King James II. under
which name the Duke of York and Albany ascended
the throne of England, that the rights of the people
were ignored in the most arbitrary manner. Not-
withstanding all grants and charters, King James
united New England and New York in one province,
appointing as Governor of the new territory Governor
Andros of Boston and recalling Dongan, who, though
an Irish Catholic, was esteemed by Protestants and
Catholics alike. Under Governor Andros a law was
passed forbidding the bolting of meal in any place in
the province except New York, which naturally great-
ly irritated the rural population and the inhabitants
of the inland towns.
History tells us that the Englishmen at home did
„. - -J not fare better than the colonists in America regarding
dethroned infringement of their rights; oppression in England led
to the revolt against King James, who fled from his
country in December 1688, and the invitation to Will-
iam III. of Orange to take up the reins of Government.
After William III. had been proclaimed king of Eng-
land, Governor Andros was taken prisoner by the
people of Boston, where a Committee of Safety was
organized to take charge of public affairs.
episode
a7id The Uyiited States 51
The province was consequently left without a direct
representative of the reigning sovereign, while the
royal governor of New York, Nicholson, had fled, and
the remaining officials were all appointees and agents
of the King who had been overthrown .
Something had to be done to safe-guard public order
and to protect private property; and, as in Boston, a The Jacob
Committee of Safetj- was organized which selected ivcisler
Jacob Ivcisler to be commander of the fort.
Jacob Leisler was the son of an exiled French Hugue-
not minister, who had fled to Frankfort in Ger-
many, where Jacob was born. Originally he enlisted
as a soldier in the service of the Dutch West India
Company, and rapidly rose to higher rank, came
afterwards to New Netherland, where he prospered
and at the time of this episode, was a merchant and
a judge.
As the representatives of the new King did not ap-
pear as soon as expected, Leisler was elected Gover-
nor of the province, and was assisted in the task of
governing bj' a council chosen by the community.
Exceptional circumstances necessitate exceptional
measures, and though the placing in power of Leisler
was done without consultation wifh the Government
at home, for which there was no opportunity, (and
the absence of which opportunit}' was in fact the
reason why this power was conferred upon him) his
assumption of the office seemed the wisest course pos-
sible under the circumstances, and as he took up the
reins of government by the wish of his fellow citizens,
he can hardly be accused of usurpation of power. It
is therefore rather remarkable that the Dutch Church,
which had always been on the side of the people, in
this case sided with the royalists, the dismissed digni-
52 The Dutch in New Netherland
taries of King James; and that the Domines de-
nounced Leisler from the pulpit as a rebel and a
usurper.
Undoubtedly this was due to a great extent to the
fact that the rich aristocracy, as represented by these
dignitaries, had become a mighty factor in the Church
and that the Domines were well aware that, sooner or
later, this class would again be uppermost in the
community. The plain people and the rural popula-
tion however sided with the Ivcisler party and were
greatly embittered against their pastors, and this led
to open acts of hostility, so that many of the clergy
had to flee from the city, while one of them was
thrown into prison.
In the meantime the community was anxiously
awaiting the agents of the new Government, but, as
may be expected after the overthrow of a ruler, so
many matters had to be attended to at once, that the
affairs of the far-off colonies could not be taken in
hand immediately. At last Sloughter was appointed
Governor ; he was shipwrecked in the Bermudas and
sent on Captain Ingoldsby ahead of him, who, on his
arrival at New York, demanded surrender of the fort,
but as he came without credentials, his demand was
naturall}' refused. Three months later Sloughter
arrived, and the administration was handed over to
him ; whereupon Iveisler, at the instigation of his
enemies, was arrested on the charge of treason, and
the same fate befell his son-in-law, Milborne.
They were tried and condemned to be hanged,
Iveisler and while their property was confiscated ; but Sloughter
his son in-law before signing the sentence, wished to get the sanction
of the King, so they were placed in prison awaiting
the reply from England. Such delay, however, hardly
executed
and The U^iited States 53
suited the royalists, who arranged a banquet to which
the Governor was invited. Later in the evening,
after heated arguments and under the influence of
strong drink, the death warrant was placed before
him for his signature and he yielded. After this sig-
nature had been obtained, the royalists were not slow
in executing the sentence, and on the 16th of May
Iveisler and Milborne were hanged and buried near
the gallows, on the site of present Tribune Building,
in Nassau Street.
Afterwards Parliament legalized Leisler's action and
Queen Anne repealed the confiscation of his and Mil-
borne's property, it being restored to their respective
heirs. In 1698 the bodies were exhumed and buried
in the Dutch Church in Garden street, now Exchange
Place.
It was about this time, in 1690, during the French
and Indian wars, that the Dutch settlement in the Destruction of
Mohawk valley, Schenectady, was burned, and the Schenectady
majoritj' of the inhabitants murdered. It is claimed
that the name Schenectady is of Indian origin, but we
cannot help thinking that the original Dutch name of
the settlement, Schoon-Echtenbeek, may have some-
thing to do with the later title. In 1689 Montreal had
been destroyed by the Mohawks, the allies of the
English and Dutch, leaving a score to be settled by
the French.
Though the settlement at Schenectady was sur-
rounded by a palisade, provided with gates, years of
undisturbed peace had made the colonists careless,
and at night the gates were usually left open. On a
winter night the French swooped down upon the
hamlet and killed 60 of the inhabitants, only about 25
escaping, while the village was burned. Ivater, the
place was rebuilt but for many years conditions in the
54 The Dutch in New Netherland
valley remained unsettled, until the taking of Canada
by the English, and it was quite customary for the
farmers to start for their work in the field armed with
muskets.
Though the famous pirate, Captain Williani Kidd,
Captain Kidd was not of Dutch descent, and has no connection with
the story of the Dutch in America (nothwithstanding
he married a Dutch lady) he has become such a hero
of folklore, especially in the youthful mind, that in
filling out our canvas we must not omit to mention
him here.
During the period of which we have spoken, piracy
on the high seas had been of regular occurrence, and as
the colonies did not have enough men-of-war to pro-
tect shipping along the coast, it had become customary
to provide private vessels with commissions as pri-
vateersmen to pursue pirates. Such commission was
granted by Governor Bellomont of New York to Captain
William Kidd, but soon afterwards the news reached
the Governor that the privateersman had turned pirate
himself. This lasted for about two years, when Cap-
tain Kidd had the audacity to appear with his ship in
Boston Harbor, where he was seized and imprisoned.
He appealed to Governor Bellomont, claiming that
whatever he had done on the high seas, had been done
on the strength of his commission as privateersman,
and that certain English vessels, which had myster-
iously disappeared, had not been molested by him.
The action of Governor Bellomont in this matter gave
rise to the rumor that he had shared part of the plunder
and therefore endeavored to protect Captain Kidd,
who afterwards confessed to some of his crimes, re-
sulting in the discovery of some of his booty in
Gardiner's Island in I/ong Island Sound. Captain
Kidd was subsequently hanged, and it is claimed that
and The United States
55
Mutual friend-
ship of the
Dutch and
EInglish people
a large part of his plunder still lies buried in the sand
along the Long Island coast, awaiting discovery by
some lucky adventurer who may happen to strike the
right spot.
Although, during the term of existence of New
Netherland, differences continually arose between its
Governor and those of the neighboring English
Colonies regarding territorial rights, the Dutch and
English people had always been on a good footing
with each other, and it is for this reason that in after
years, under the English Governors, no distinctly
Dutch party existed, as such, in opposition to the
English factors. There was, however, the party of
the People, clamoring for freedom and the right to be
represented in the affairs of the Government, as op-
posed to the ro3-alists who sided with the agents of
the Government across the water, and it was with the
former party that the Dutch sided, with few excep-
tions.
There was, of course, the Dutch Church party, but
this was a matter of religion, as they insisted on the
right to worship in their own way, without the inter-
ference of the Government, which tried to force the
Episcopalian Church upon the colonies ; and in this
opposition the Dutch sided with the English Puritans,
not on account of intolerance towards the Episcopali-
ans, to whom they bore no malice, but on account of
the old principle that full freedom in matters of re-
ligion should be allowed, to all the People without
interference on the part of their Rulers.
In relating the story of the Dutch in America, we
should therefore have to fall back upon the narrative The Dutch
of the exploits of those individuals who, during the Revolutionary
course of later events, especially shone out amongst war
56 The Dutch in New Nether land
their fellow citizens ; this would lead us a good deal
further than space permits. It may be said, however,
that during the Revolutionary war the Dutch of New
York carried their share of the burden, and did their
full duty by the community of which they formed a
part.
And if in the historical records we find afterwards
only comparatively few Dutch names, it should not be
forgotten, that, compared with the total population
of the United Colonies at the outbreak of the war, the
Dutch formed only a small percentage, owing to the
cessation of emigration from Holland after the fall of
New Netherland. The development of the East and
West-Indian possessions, and the many wars in Eur-
ope in which Holland engaged in after years, de-
manded the services of so many of her sons, that few
could be spared to add to the population of the colonies
of a foreign power.
When we read, howevei, auout the eager endeav-
ors of the English authorities during the revolution to
capture the Dutch Domines, it may be concluded that
the Dutch Reformed Church, as under the rule of the
West India Company, had remained a political factor,
and that the followers of this faith were amongst the
foremost fighters in the ranks of the Continental
Army. We may further mention the name of General
Schuyler as one of the prominent American leaders;
he had already given proof of his valor in the war of
the English against the French in Canada. There is
further Simeon de Witt, who was geographer in the
army and afterwards rose to the rank of staff officer of
General Washington. Later, after the war was over,
he became Surveyor-General of the State of New York.
It was in these days of struggle that the new Com-
monwealth received support from its elder-sister
and The United States
57
republic in Europe — Holland, in December 1780, mak-
ing a treaty whereby the Independence of the United
States was acknowledged, leading to relations of re-
ciprocal friendship. It was further agreed that if
England should make war on Holland, the latter
country and America should assist each other, and
that no peace should be made without mutual consent,
and this was soon followed by an open declaration of
war with Holland by England, thus adding one more to
her enemies who should harrash her on the high seas.
A similar treaty had been made with France two
years previous but it should be mentioned that at the
time of the treaty with that country the outlook for
the final success for America seemed favorable, while
at the time of the alliance with Holland the Contin-
ental Army had suffered many reverses. For years,
the Dutch had been aiding the Revolutionists and most
of their war supplies had been brought into the
countr}- by way of the Dutch West Indian Colonies.
It was in these Colonies, at the island of St. Eusta-
tius, on November the 16th, 1776, that the flag of the
new Republic was first saluted by a Foreign Power.
The support of the Dutch, however, was not confined
to the making of a treaty;liberal sums of money were
loaned to the new Republic, and when, in after years,
these sums were repaid to a total of about $14,000,000,
they were invested in lands in western New York and
Pennsylvania, which were developed under the man-
agement of the Holland Land Company.
After the war was over and republican ideals, which
brought with them religious freedom and public
schools, had triumphed, the necessity' of sticking to-
gether as people of one race, with its own church, had
vanished; this resulted in a gradual neglect of the
mother-tongue and about in 1800 the Dutch language
Support from
Holland
The Dutch
language
ceases to be
spoken in
America
58 The Dutch in New Netherland
ceased to be spoken in the erstwhile Dutch com-
munities, English having become the universal
language.
The only remnant of Dutch Institutions which still
exists to-daj' is the Dutch Reformed Church of
The Dutch America, which, as an organization, had certainly
Reformed flourished steadily enough during these centuries of
Church |-j-jg changing and confusing influx of foreign elements.
In looking back upon past events, it is with feelings
of regret that we note how our own proud city, and
the capital of our state, have retained the names
placed upon them through an outburst of royal vanity,
names which have no historical meaning and which
should have vanished with the cessation of the
English rule.
We cannot help feeling that the old names New
Amsterdam and Rensselaerwyk (or Beverwyk as it was
originallj' called) would have conveyed to posterity a
more fitting memory of the past, and would have
commemorated better than their present names, the
pluck and courage of our ancestors.
Our narrative has so far related the historj' of the
early Dutch settlers and of their descendants, but after
the recognition of the United States of America by
Europe, these descendants, as well as those of the
English, Swedish and other early settlers, became
Americans, having no further connection with their
fatherlands, so that we cannot class them any more
as anything but Americans.
In speaking therefore of the Dutch in America, in
modern times, w'e have to refer to such Hollanders as
emigrated to the United States since the establish-
ment of the Republic, and the following pages are
devoted to this new class of settlers.
and The United States 59
Sundry causes led to a renewed influx of Hollanders
into the New World from this date, the first being Holland i^and
the outcome of the formation of the Holland Land Company
Company referred to above, which induced farmers in
Holland to leave their homesteads in the old country
and to devote their energy to the development of
lands in New York and Pennsylvania, which they
offered on easy terms.
The many Dutch names on the map of the State of
New York, such as, Barneveld, Amsterdam, Rotter-
dam, Batavia, Tromp, Linklaen, etc., facilitate the
task of locating the section where these settlements
were originally started. From this time dates also the
arrival of Harmen Jan Huidekoper, so well known in
the circles of the Unitarian Church, who settled in
Meadville, Pennsylvania, where the JVIeadville Theo-
logical School was afterv\-ard established. It was
once a standard saying that if anybody inquired into
the basic principles of the Unitarian faith, the answer
would be ' 'Nobody knows but Huidekoper, and he
won't tell."
A further tide of travel toward the West set in from
Europe on account of the political disturbances during
the Napoleonic wars, when many of the most ardent
champions of the popular part}' considered it advisable
to leave the country after Holland became a kingdom
under Napoleon's brother Louis. Among these politi-
cal exiles were Colonel Adam G. Mappa and Adriaan
van der Kemp, the former becoming afterwards
agent of the Holland Land Company, while the
records of Ulster County Court show that the latter
held the ofBce of Assistant Justice in that district.
The next emigration movement took place about 50
years later, in 1848, and we regret to say that this
60
The Duich in Nav Nctherland
Emigrration
under the rule
of KiiiK
William I.
Settlers in
Iowa under
Domine Scholte
Michigan and
Chicago
was caused through the curbing of the freedom of re-
ligion, the one ideal for which the Dutch had fought
so long a struggle and which in former years had been
the universal merit of their fatherland, having been
instrumental in bringing to its cities so many exiles of
sterling worth, from other countries.
After the throne of the Corsican had been over-
thrown and the European powers were once more
separated by their former boundaries, Holland re-
mained a kingdom, but this time under the rule of a
descendant of the house of Orange, King William I.
However, the business of being King, like any other,
has to be learned, and it is rather remarkable that Wil-
liam I. did not realize the necessity of a liberal gov-
ernment for a people like the Dutch, but ignored all the
experience and precedents of his ancestors. The old
form of representative government was changed to a
bureaucratic rule, which was enforced with an iron
hand, and the aid of the arm}', and which lasted until
the Dutch Government secured his abdication. He
was succeeded by his son, who ascended the throne
under the title of William II.
In the meantime several pastors, embittered by the
persecution which they endured, gathered their
flocks around them and set out in search of a new
home where they might find rest and freedom. Domine
Scholte led his faithful followers to the valley of the
Mississippi, in Iowa, where they settled in Pella, from
which settlement the now existing Dutch colonies in
Orange City, Sioux Center and others are the offspring
of later date.
Domine van Raalteled his constituents to the shores
of lake Michigan, where they founded the commun-
ities of Grand Rapids and Holland, in after years so
and The United States
61
well known for their furniture industry. Also the
Chicago suburbs, Roseland and Pullman are prin-
cipally settled by emigrating Dutchmen .
Dutch colonies in the United States have further
sprung up through the formation of land companies
in Holland, which peddled out their large purchases
in America to their enthusiastic fellow countrymen,
emigrating in the hope of soon doubling their wealth
through the fabulous yield of the rich virgin soils of
these territories. Some succeeded, but many others
discovered the truth of the old adage "it is not all
gold that glitters," and lost all they had. In the
eighties for instance, quite an exodus took place to
far-off California, where it was claimed that fortunes
could be made in the fruit growing business, but
when at last the new orchards began to yield a pro-
duct, hard times set in and no buyers could be
found for the crops, which rotted on the trees.
Another large Dutch centre can be found in Pater-
son, N. J., where it is estimated that the Dutch colony,
including the first American born generation, counts
about 15,000 souls. Jersey has always been a Dutch
section from the time of the first settlement of that
region, and many who intended to try their luck in
the new world, were naturally drawn to surround-
ings where they might find relatives or friends who
had already a firm footing in the land which was to be
their second fatherland. They were, or rather are,
the emigrants from Friesland and Zeeland especially
who may be found in Paterson, and the casual
stranger, passing through North Main street, would
hardly imagine himself on American soil if he pays
attention to the names painted on the shop windows,
which gives the street more the aspect of the principal
thoroughfare in a Frisian village.
Fruit Growers
in California
Paterson, N. J.
62
The Dutch in New Nethcrlayid
Sayville, !<. I.
Philadelphia,
Pa.
Extradition
treaty made in
1872.
The writer, who is himself a PVisian, remembers
how on the occasion of his first visit to Paterson,
which was on a Sunday, he happened to be in this
section of the town, just at the moment that the good
people were leaving church. To see, in this far-off
land, the women with their national headgear, the
well known "ooryzer" and to hear them converse and
greet each other in their own familiar style, in the
language of our own northern province, was a real
pleasure and it was even with a certain amount of
emotion that it came home to him, how even here,
only an hour travel from the hustle and bustle of the
busy surroundings of lower Manhattan, the old familiar
cheer for ' ' Fryslan boppe ' ' would be met with an
enthusiastic response.
Another characteristic colony which should be men-
tioned is the settlement in Sayville, Long Island, on
the Great South Bay, consisting exclusively of Zee-
land oyster farmers, which village is the nucleus of the
oyster industry on Long Island. Like many other
small communities, Saj^ville may boast of its fore-
most citizen who holds more or less the same position
as the "squire" in an English village.
Philadelphia has also recently come into the fore-
ground as a Dutch community with its "Holland
Society of Philadelphia", to which belong the many
Hollanders who follow a course of study at the Phila-
delphia Dental College, and who are destined to
spread afterwards in the old world the fame of the
advanced scientific status of American dentistry.
There was a time when emigration to America in
Holland was looked upon as being more or less a dis-
grace, casting something of a slur on the character of
the emigrant who set forth to try his fortune in the
and The Ujiitcd States 63
new world. The origin of this was found in the
fact that no Kxtradition Treaty had been made as yet
with the United States, which still offered a haven of
refuge to defaulters or others who were fugitives from
justice for acts committed in the old country. More-
over, if there was a black sheep in any family, the
most convenient waj- to get rid of him was to ship him
over to America and leave him to shift for himself.
Europe is comparatively small and distances short, so
that a social exile can always find a way to get back
to his relatives, even from the remotest part of that
continent, an enterprising rascal having many waj'S
of beating his way back to the fleshpots of Egypt,
even if he has not a penn}' in his pocket. If, how-
ever, his relatives placed a large sheet of water like
the Atlantic Ocean between themselves and the delin-
<iuent, it was looked upon as the surest safeguard
against the possible reappearance of the afore men-
tioned black sheep.
An Extradition Treaty between the two countries,
however, was signed in 1872, and since that time the
United States were closed to the fugitives from Dutch
justice.
In the same j^ear the "Nederlandsch Amerikaansche
Stoomvaart Maatschappy" or in English, "Nether- Holland
land American Steamnavigation Company" was or- Amenca l,ine
ganized, briefly named "Holland-America Line."
This line is an offspring of a regular service insti-
tuted between Rotterdam and New York by the firm
of shipowners, Messrs. Plate, Reuchlin & Co. Their
steamers each had room for 10 first cabin passengers
of which two overnight had to be accommodated on the
benches in the dining saloon; couches which were too
cold and too uncomfortable in winter time, and in
64 The Dutch in New Nethcrland
this season the carn'ing capacity was accordingly re-
duced to eight persons. This made no difference
however, as in winter such a crowd of passengers as
ten persons, were never expected to materialize.
The Holland-America Line started its regular ser-
vice with the two following steamers :
S.S. "Rotterdam" with a tonnage of 2,100 Tons
S.S. "Maas" with a tonnage of 1,800 Tons
having a speed of 10 knots and a carrying capacity of:
40 first cabin passengers,
35 second cabin passengers ,
and 100/150 steerage passengers,
and if we compare these tiny ocean carriers wnth the
latest leviathan of this line, the S.S. ''Rotterdam," of
24,170 Tons Register and 37,190 Tons displacement
(one of the five largest vessels in the Atlantic pas-
senger trade, and unsurpassed by any steamer in
comfortable and luxurious equipment) we must con-
gratulate the enterprising Directors with the phe-
nomenal success of their line.
In mentioning the Dutch mercantile marine in
West India connection with the United States, we may also point
Mail to the progress made by the Royal Dutch West India
Mail. This company originally organized a regular
mail service between Amsterdam and the Dutch West
Indian colonies, afterwards extending the route of
travel to New York and returning again to Holland
by wa}' of the West Indies. Since last year a separate
weekly service has been opened by special steamers
between the colony of Surinam and New York, which
vessels have been especially fitted up for the carrj-ing
of bananas for the New York market, while they also
have excellent passenger accommodation.
and The United Slates
65
During the latter part of the 19th century we have
seen a renewed emigration from Holland en masse,
forming Dutch communities in certain sections. In
recent years, such emigration has ceased and those
who come over now, come as individuals prepared to
make their way on the strength of their personal
merits.
In these communities there exists, as a matter of
course, a certain amount of characteristic Dutch social
life, with its special social events and news. These
conditions have given birth to several Dutch news-
papers, which in general outline give the news from
the Fatherland, the American news, and, last but not
least, the social gossip of the community. There are
at present 16 of such publications in the United States,
divided as follows over the different states :
2 in Paterson, N. J.
1 in Rochester, N. Y.
1 in Chicago, 111.
2 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
1 in Pella, la.
2 in De Pere, Wis.
3 in Holland, Mich.
1 in Kalamazoo, Mich.
2 in Orange City, la.
1 in Sioux Center, la.
Curiously enough there is no Dutch newspaper in
New York City, but it should be added that, though
there are several thousand Hollanders in greater New
York, they are scattered all over the city, and differ
greatly in social status, so that little or no unit)^ exists
among them. There are Dutch bankers, law>'ers,
architects, clerks, artisans, waiters, in short, there
are Hollanders in almost every part of the mercantile
Holland news-
papers n
America
Conditions in
New York City
Professionals
as emigrants
66 The Dutch in Nnv Ncthcrland
or industrial life of the great city and, taken as a
whole, they are reckoned as foremost to a remarkable
degree amongst their colleagues in each particular
sphere of occupation.
This condition not only exists in New York, but we
find Hollanders scattered all over the Union, engaged
in the most varied occupations. Through the large
financial interests of Holland in several of the Western
Railroads, quite a few Dutchmen are connected with
these enterprises. In Port Arthur, Texas, a Dutch
land company, with Dutch employees, is engaged in
aiding to develop this port. The City of Galveston,
almost entirely destroyed by the great hurricane and
flood of a few years ago, has her city level raised by a
Dutch contracting firm. In Texas we find Dutch rice
farmers and even in the Dominion of Our Lady of the
Snows; we find Dutch importing houses in the cities
of Toronto and Winnipeg.
In a "Holland-American Almanac," published in
1883, more especially written for the benefit of intend-
ing emigrants, we find the rather curious warning
that "there is no bread for professionals in America,"
and that it is only advisable for skilled laborers and
servant-girls to come to the United States. Though
we are at a loss to understand what is exactly meant
by "professionals," we presume that this refers to
people following vocations which require some learn-
ing. Perhaps conditions have changed since then,
but if our interpretation of the expression cited above
be correct, we might point out to the writer of this
almanac many examples of "professional" men
amongst our fellow countrymen, who have been very
successful here. In fact, there is room for all pro-
fessions, provided the young men who come over here
and The United States 67
possess the necessary knowledge, courage and perse-
verance to grapple with their new life in a strange
country. The population of the United States in-
creases j-early about one and a half million, mostly
through emigration, and, as the optimistic American
is wont to say ''ive need iheni all.'''' This country is
only beginning to grow, and offers plenty of opportu-
nity for those who come with the firm intention of
succeeding. This, as a matter of course, depends on
personal ability and inclination, and it must be ex-
pected that, notwithstanding the opportunities, the
weak ones must be "failures" and fall by the way,
even sooner than they would at home, where the
helping hand of relatives or friends may be more
promptly available.
Referring again to conditions in New York City,
it should not be concluded that in our city there exists Eendracht
no nucleus of Dutch social life. Away back in 1864 MaaktMacht
there was founded the society "Eendracht Maakt
Macht," having for its object the promotion of social
life amongst the Hollanders, while a fund was further
created for support of its members in case of sickness
and for the defraying of funeral expenses. Most of
the members of this societ}^ however, were, (and
are), people of limited means, who could not go much
further than the occasional hiring of a hall, where
their meetings were held, and their annu.al St.
Nicholas celebrations took place.
Thus matters stood, when, in 1901, some of our
Hollanders endeavored to bring enough of the scat-
tered elements together to organize a dinner at the
"Holland House," in celebration of the Queen's
marriage in February of that year, which proved such
a success that it was decided to repeat this again some
time during the next winter season.
68
The Dutch in New Netherland
The Nether-
land Chamber
of Commerce in
America
The following year the Hollanders met again, this
time at the "Manhattan Hotel," under presidency of
Her Majesty's Minister at Washington, D. C, W. A.
F. Baron Gevers. At this gathering, His Excellency
took the initiative in submitting a plan to bring the
several Dutch elements of this city permanently to-
gether, either by the creation of a Netherland Cham-
ber of Commerce, a Club, or a Benevolent Society, or
all three; and a committee was at once appointed to
take these matters under consideration, and to report
at a later date.
Before proceeding with our narrative, we wish to
extend a word of thanks to Baron Gevers for his ini-
tiative 4n this matter. The possibility of creating
something by iinited effort had often been disciassed,
but nobody had ever seriously tried to bring it about.
Most of the Hollanders were comparatively strangers
to each other. The writer remembers how during the
first years of his sojourn in this city, he only occa-
.sionally met any of his fellow countrymen, owing to
the enormous distances in our city, and the great
variety of occupation of the Hollanders in New York.
The first outcome of the deliberations of this Com-
mittee was the incorporation on May the 28th, 1903, of
' ' The Netherland Chamber ofCummerce in America, ' '
with offices at 68 Broad Street, which, in October of
last year, were moved to 136 Water Street. The
Chamber is now in the seventh year of its existence,
and during that period has received numerous in-
quiries for information, as well from merchants in
Holland and the colonies, as from exporters and im-
porters in the United States. The annual reports
give a synopsis of its activities and events have shown
that the Chamber provides for existing needs in the
and The Ujiited States
69
commercial relations between the United States and
the Netherlands.
The organization in now engaged in a campaign
placing before the public the facilities of the port of
Willemstad on the island of Curasao, which promises
to become the centre of maritime traffic in the Carib-
bean sea, after the opening of the Panama Canal, and
it was with great satisfaction that it recently learned
of the formation of a syndicate in Holland, having as
object the enlarging of the shipping facilities at
that port.
The formation of the Chamber of Commerce was
followed a few months later by the incorporation of
' ' The Neilicrland Club of Neiu York, ' ' which opened
its Club building at 47 East 25th Street, in October of
the same year. This club has become a real ' 'Dutch
Home" in New York and is now the rendezvous of
most travelling Hollanders who come to our city.
Many a young Hollander, who has come to New
York as a total stranger, has profited by the advice
and information to be gathered among these homelike
surroundings, which formerly he would have had to
learn by hard and expensive personal experience, and
not a few have succeeded in obtaining positions through
the assistance and influence of acquaintances made in
this Club.
It was through the initiative of the officers of the
Netherland Club that H. M. protected cruiser "Gel-
derland" visited the port of New York in the summer
of 1907, and the enthusiastic welcome which the
officers and crew received on that occasion, from
Americans as well as from Hollanders, has demon-
strated the bond of friendship which still exists so
strongly between Old and New Netherland.
The Nether-
land Club of
New York
70
The Dutch in Netv Nethcrland
The Nether-
land Benevo-
lent Society of
New York
After these two organizations had been launched in
1903, it was considered inadvisable to attempt at the
same time the formation of a benevolent society, as
quite a demand had been made already upon the
generosity of our small community, in order to get the
Chamber and the Club on a firm footing. In Febru-
ary, 1908, the project was, however, brought up again,
and a committee appointed to prepare the necessary
plans. A few months later the plans were complete,
and ''The Netherland Benevolent Society of New
York.'''' with oiEces at 11 Broadway, was organized.
Her Majesty, Queen Wilhelmina, was petitioned to
favor the new society by becoming its Protectress,
which petition was favorably received. During the
first year of its activity, following the financial and
commercial panic of 1907, this society has already
done a good deal of work, by either assisting stranded
Hollanders with loans in ready mone}', by procuring
them a place of refuge, or by aiding them in ob-
taining work.
Though these organizations are now well under
way and to the best of their ability endeavoring to
answer the purposes for which they were created, it
should not be imagined that are all as prosperous as
might be the case.
In our colony there are comparatively few who are
well to do, so that the burden of all these societies
falls on the one small community. Also the work to
be done is of such nature that it has to be taken up in
turn by a very few of the same small circle. It is
therefore of the utmost necessity that they retain the
support of their patrons in Holland and of all those
who, directly or indirect!}', reap the benefits of our
activity for the national cause.
and The United States 71
In drawing a picture of social life amongst the
Hollanders in New York, we niaj- not omit to mention Our Consul
the dean of our colony, Mr. John Rutger Planten, the General
Consul-General of the Netherlands in New York,
who has now been in the consular service for over
35 years.
During these years he has gained many friends
through his genial manners, universal kindness and
his ever read)- willingness to lend a helping hand
whenever his assistance is reqviested to further a
good cause.
The general respect and friendship of the Dutch
Colony towards him was demonstrated by a reception
tendered to Mr. Planten last winter, to celebrate the
thirty-fifth anniversary of his appointment as Consul,
and when Her Majesty's Minister, Jhr. Dr. J. Loudon,
announced that Her Majesty had commissioned him
to inform Mr. Planten of Her appreciation of his
service, as a token whereof She conferred upon him
the order of "De Nederlandsche Leeuw," the hearty
cljeers which were heard told better than many written
volumes how beloved he is by his fellow citizens; we
hope sincerely that for many years to come we may
have him among vis.
This is, in short the histor}- of the Dutch in these
regions, from their first advent to the present day. Advice to
Many have come before us and many will come after newcomers
us, and it is more especial!}- for the latter that this
booklet has been written, so that they may know, be-
fore starting out to make history for themselves,
what their predecessors have done. A word of advice
to our young and inexperienced countrymen who
come to this country to make it their future home,
maj' therefore not be out of place. They will come to
72 The Dutch in New Neiherland
a strange land with a very mixed population and
strange manners, materially difTering from those they
knew at home. They will be apt to make compari-
sons and the sum of their conclusions will always be
in favor of conditions in the fatherland. Our advice
is, — don't do it, — make no comparisons, — take things
as thej- are, for all your criticism and grumbling will
not make things different. Whatever you may think
strange or unjust, be assured that there is a reason
for it, and usually a very good reason, too. If you
don't like things American, you may be certain that
America will not change because you do not approve,
but, on the contrary, America is likely to change you.
Grumbling and dissatisfaction with things as they are
will only make you unhapp}- and unfit, but the world
will go on just the same. Just as American ways
may seem peculiar to you, so 3'our ways may seem to
Americans, but usually they will be too polite and too
experienced to make any remarks about it. Therefore,
in critizising, do not forget that it may be once again
the case of the mote and the beam. When you are in
Rome, do as the Romans do. When you come to
America, be an American, and you will soon find how
much good there is in this country which is not
found elsewhere. If a country offers you hospitality,
it may expect that you do your duty hy it and give it
your hearty co-operation. Whether Dutch or Eng-
lish, German or Irish, Swede or Italian, Jew or
Gentile, we are all alike and all have to give the best
that is in us to further the welfare of the Union and
the prosperity of the country. You earn American
Dollars and eat American bread, and therefore, be
American. Do no hold aloof because the strangers
you meet have other ideas and other views of things
than you have. Mingle vdth the crowd and they will
and The United States 73
soon cease to be strangers, their ideas will become
yonrs and yon will feel at home and learn to appre-
ciate what at first looked irrational . At the same time,
be a Hollander, b^- upholding the dignity of our
Nation and our ancestors, as it has been upheld for
centuries b}- those Americans who are descendants of
the first Dutchmen who settled here. Do not forget
that the past is gone forever but that the future lies
before us. Conditions have changed and there are
no more new lands to be discovered, but in other ways
there is plenty of opportunity to push forward and to
spread the name of the people of Holland as a people
of integrity and sterling merit. We have no right to
stand forever on the record of our ancestors but we
ourselves will some day be history of the past, and it
is up to us to see that our descendants can look back
upon us, the pilgrims of the latter days, with the
same pride as we do upon our ancestors.
Before concluding we wish to extend a heart}- wel-
come to ovir countrymen who have undertaken the
long voyage across the ocean in order to be with us
during our celebration, and we hope that our en-
deavors may have aided them in recalling those
events of the past which go to make this tercentennial
celebration an occasion of such importance for our
State and Citv.
New York, September 10, 1909.
ALBERT HEPP & CO.
PRr NTERS
N EW YORK CITY
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